10 work packages guarantee the achievement of the objectives and completion of all deliverables of the project.

Choose from the list:

This work package forms the conceptual and theoretical backbone of the project. It takes stock of existing knowledge on drivers, patterns, and outcomes of persistence of and change in Europe’s cultural landscapes. Thus, this work package seeks to define core concepts around cultural landscapes in order to set-up a comprehensive and interdisciplinary framework to ensure consistency between all work packages. In order to further identify and quantify drivers, patterns and outcomes of landscapes and their changes, an innovative systematic review protocol is also being developed. This work package also quantifies, where possible, the rates and patterns of landscape change, determines and proximates drivers and outcomes of landscape change and persistence, and identifies the actors responsible for and impacted by landscape change. Finally, the archetypical combinations of drivers and outcomes of landscape dynamics at multiple spatial scales and their relation top policy changes are categorized.

The principal aim of work package 2 is to enhance methodologies in order to collect data and create knowledge about the long-term dimension of cultural landscape change. More specifically, this work package defines an innovative methodological procedure for understanding the long-term development and transformation of cultural landscapes, drawing on recent insights from landscape archaeology, geography and (historical) ecology. The underlying procedure informs the definitions and the conceptual framework devised in work package 1. Developing and testing an infrastructural facility for retrieving and linking archaeological, historical and ecological data and geo-information (SDI) to support the interdisciplinary study of landscape changes is also a key task of this work package. Finally, work package 2 develops models for analyzing long-term trends in landscape history in the study landscapes.

The objective of this work package is to assess the short-term past of cultural landscapes, using case study research. In order to do so, representative and understudied cultural landscapes across Europe have been selected through an interactive selection process. These serve as a basis for local-scale fieldwork and stakeholder interaction. The work package also attempts to reconstruct the changes and dynamics these landscapes have faced in recent history. Finally, this work package assesses the role of the driving forces, policies and responsible actors, while performing comparative analyses, incorporating the findings of all other work packages.

Work package 4 scales up insights gained from the meta-analyses conducted in work package 1 and case studies from both work package 3 and work package 4 to shed some light on the patterns, dynamics and values of cultural heritage landscapes across Europe. Furthermore, it maps the current distribution of cultural landscapes and recent dynamics therein across Europe between 1985 and 2010 (and possibly up to 2015). In order to do so, the work package develops a cultural landscape typology that considers the insights gained through the meta-analyses and case studies from the aforementioned work packages. By assessing the indicators pertaining to land management, landscape structure, land use history and cultural heritage, this work package also maps the current distribution of cultural landscapes. Lastly, this work package reconstructs recent dynamics in cultural landscapes and detects hotspots and cold spots of cultural landscape loss.

This work package builds upon the cultural landscape characterization (work package 4) to make a model based assessment of processes of change in cultural landscapes at multiple levels, connecting EU level dynamics with local decision-making by land owners and managers. This assessment not only helps to contextualize the visioning process in work package 6, but also identifies landscape practices that manage to adapt to future changes and show to be robust under alternating socio-economic development scenarios. An important aspect of doings so involves connecting scenarios of change in the main landscape drivers to the impact of landscape structure in diverse cultural landscape types. This work package also assesses the development in societal demand for ecosystem services provided by cultural landscapes under alternating future socio-economic developments and rural-urban interactions. Finally, efforts are being made to assess the influence of broad macro-scale trends on local decision-making of land owners and managers within cultural landscapes.

WP6: Visioning for re-coupling social and ecological landscape components

The objectives of this work package are to develop visions for re-coupling social and ecological components in cultural landscapes and to translate them into policy and management options. For this, stakeholder-based, explicit and context-sensitive knowledge on ways to foster possibilities for a broad and increasingly differentiated public to experience heritage sites and to receive memories, meaning, values and knowledge by cultural landscapes is acquired. The assessment of strengths and weaknesses of current landscape practices and the development of innovative strategies results in the identification of successful tools for a future-oriented landscape management both at the practical management and policy level. The work package in particular feeds the specific heritage values of cultural landscapes into the concepts of ecosystem services and the discussion around payments for ecosystem services. The precise objective of this work package is performing a European-scale survey on land use practices; to assessing the strengths and weaknesses of landscape practices; compiling a road book on best landscape practices; and developing innovative measures and compilation and prioritization of policy options.

WP7: Development and testing of a Knowledge Hub for Good Landscape Practice

The objective of this work package is to design and implement a Knowledge Hub for Good Landscape Practice, which ensures efficient collecting, archiving, using, sharing, and distributing of data and project results amongst project partners, stakeholders and the general public. It acts as a major toolkit for communicating the insights gained through HERCULES, while providing the means for collecting feedback and input through crowdsourcing tools. This work package further seeks to understand the importance and implications of the protection, management and planning of cultural landscapes within society. In order to maximize the outreach of the project results, the Knowledge Hub enables landscape practitioners, managers, users, policymakers and the general public to do the following. Firstly, it assists mapping, assessing, protecting, and managing the functions, services and values of cultural landscapes at the local level. Secondly, it assists identifying adequate areas of activity to protect and manage landscape values, while defining the necessary process steps to implement good landscape practices on the ground. Thirdly, the work package evaluates the promises and pitfalls of various landscape practices, and finally, it appraises the effects of landscape practices on landscape functions, services and values. It should also be noted that the Knowledge Hub is designed for a lifetime that extends beyond the duration of the HERCULES project.

Work package 8 integrates stakeholders at study landscape level into the project. It performs pilot applications for the Knowledge Hub, provides guidelines for good landscape practices and organise demonstration activities for good landscape practices on the ground. Particularly, this work package performs stakeholder workshops for HERCULES at the study landscapes. It also creates cohesive guidance options for small and medium-sized enterprises, associations of citizens, public authorities and agencies which help identify and empower traditional skills and knowledge on cultural landscapes. Testing and demonstrating the efficacy of the knowledge hub with landscape practitioners is essential. This then allows project partners to perform on-the-ground training and demonstrational activities framed around “cultural landscape days” organized with landscape users.

WP9: Design of recommendations for landscape policy and practice, communication, and dissemination

Work package 9 comprises activities related to awareness, stakeholder dialogue, dissemination of results, and relevant communication with external stakeholders. It also disseminates good landscape practices and relevant policy recommendations. These publicity and dissemination activities reflect the needs and characteristics of HERCULES and closely consider post-project continuation and sustainability plans. More specifically, this work package devises a stakeholder engagement strategy to disseminate findings at EU level through a series of workshops in Brussels. The communication ensures that all results reach their intended target audience. This work package also creates ad hoc communication tools, such as a website and other relevant social networking tools, which operate in conjunction with the Knowledge Hub for Good Landscape Practice. To maximize the impact of the study, a series of policy recommendations will be compiled to influence public policy at the EU level. Finally, a conference marking the conclusion of the project will be organized in Brussels to report the results and deliberate on the following steps.

This work package is dedicated to the efficient coordination of the HERCULES project. It ensures that financial, administrative and scientific aspects of the project are managed efficiently with all project partners. This work package oversees the overall progress and integration of research components and results, by maintaining an effective and transparent communication flow. Lastly, this work package works toward liaising with the European Commission, the Advisory Board and other external parties.